


The Seal and The Chef

by orphan_account



Series: Mermaid AU [1]
Category: Junior Express (TV)
Genre: Feeding Francis, M/M, Weight Gain booiiss, it’ll depend on what I decide in the future, kind of a royalty au, mermaid au, more tags to be added as they come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23554645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Francis is a seal mer who saves Arnoldo, a grand chef. The two become fascinated with each other, doing more and more to see the other.
Relationships: Arnoldo/Francis (Junior Express)
Series: Mermaid AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695298
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	1. My Name is Francis

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve fallen in love with the Mermaid AU. There are still some things I need to decide and work on. Who is what and what do they do and what not.

Francis couldn’t help but smile. The way the sun warmed the skinny seal merman just always put a smile on his face. He shouldn’t be up at the surface but the warmth of the sun helped him on colder days. The ocean was cold, especially where most mer people lived.  
Francis was small compared to others, especially to the other seal mer people. Seals were typically larger, like many other types as to help with the cold. The boy with curly, raven hair and a seals tail of grays was usually working hard so it was more often than not that he forgot to eat.  
Francis was about to close his tired eyes, completely ready to take a well anticipated nap when he noticed a familiar shadow swimming towards him. He sat up a bit.  
“There you are Francis” He could hear his best friend say. He hummed as he laid back.  
“You know you shouldn’t be up here. What if you were seen” Harmony said, pulling his tail so he slid into the water. Harmony always knows this is where Francis goes when he disappears from the city.  
“Well I wasn’t. Now if you’ll excuse me-“ He said, about to climb back up on his rock. She grabbed his arm.  
“Francis, please. Besides, your dads are looking for you” Harmony told him, seeing him frown. He sighed and nodded.  
“Fine, but don’t think I’m gonna stop coming to my rocks” He told the mergirl. The two began to swim downward towards their city under the sea. She sped up in front of him, a flash of purple going by. Harmony’s tail was scaly with purples and reds, it made Francis feel a bit dull. For one, his tail was grey on grey with darker spots on his back. His tail wasn’t scaly either, rather his was smooth. He couldn’t lie, the blubber did help him stay warm. He sped up beside her, he knew she wanted to race. To brighten his mood since she interrupted his sun time. It was really just another day in the ocean.  
-  
Francis frowned when he swam up to the surface. He was hoping he would make it before the sun went down but time had slipped by him. He pulled himself up on his rock, looking up at the stars.  
“At least it’s a pretty night out, huh Francis?” He talked to himself. He looked across the sea. Not far there was a human kingdom. The kingdom was a large problem and the reason no one was supposed to go to the surface. The lights were pretty. As he watched the calming waters, he noticed something. It was a strange something. An empty rowboat floating by. He frowned as he slid back into the water and swam towards the boat. He grabbed onto the edge and peaked inside, only to gasp and duck back into the water. A large thing was laid inside. Francis presumed it was a human. He had never actually seen one before but he had heard stories of them. He took another peak to realize the man was out cold. He didn’t look well. Francis tilted his had. The man had a mustache and wore strange clothes. His hair was straight. He was large, Francis would say he was probably a bit bigger than his own dad. Francis frowned as he moved around to the back of the small boat. He began pushing towards the shore he was forbidden to go too.  
-  
Arnoldo stirred as he slowly opened his eyes. He had gotten lost at sea and the last thing he could remember was how hot it was outside. He looked up to see it was midnight, the moon shining down on the ocean around him. It was beautiful. The chef realized he was moving. He sat up quickly upon noticing just how fast he was moving. He looked over the edge of the boat to meet eyes with a boy. The boy looked up and shrieked as he ducked into the water.  
“No! What the-“ Arnoldo said, looking around the darkened water. The boy poked his head slightly above the water, to show olive eyes and that cute curly hair.  
“What are you doing in the water like that!? You’ll freeze to death!” Arnoldo exclaimed going to offer his hand to the boy.  
“No!” Francis said, backing away.  
“Who are you?” Arnoldo asked trying to calm the boy down.  
“My name is Francis” Francis said, getting a bit closer to the boat.  
“I am the Grand Chef Arnoldo. Now may I ask for you to get in the boat. Look I have paddles, it’ll be easier than pushing” Arnoldo suggested, offering his hand. Francis shook his head and ducked back under the water. The merman let the boat touch his back as he started to swim. He needed to get this man to shore, before he was found out.  
Arnoldo rubbed his eyes as the boy disappeared. He could have sworn he saw the end of a Seal’s tail.  
-  
Francis noticed the water becoming more and more shallow, seeing shore ahead. He let go of the boat and pushed, sending the boat on it’s way. He swam up, watching the boat hit shore and the man crawling out. The docks weren’t far.  
“Aren’t you coming!?” Arnoldo yelled, spotting the boy. Francis turned suddenly, dipping back into the water. Arnoldo watched the boy reveal a seal’s tail as he disappeared.  
He had to be dreaming.


	2. The 2nd Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arnoldo and Francis meet again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In some art I drew I had Doris as a mermaid but I decided to make her human.

Francis bit his lip as he swam along the ocean floor, Harmony close behind him. She knew something was up. The seal was terrible at not showing his nervousness.   
“Francis, is something wrong?” Harmony asked, “you’ve been acting strange since the other night when you came back from your rocks.”   
“No, nothing is wrong. Why would anything be wrong?” Francis said. He hadn’t told anyone of his encounter or what he was planning. He would need help though, and as helpful as Harmony usually was, she wasn’t the sort of mermaid he needed. He needed someone who knew humans, who knew the waters around the docks. Francis knew how to get there, but not his way around the docks. The last thing he needed was getting spotted.   
“Francis, something is obviously wrong. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what is wrong.” She exclaimed. He sighed.   
“Come on, we need to talk in private” Francis mumbled as they swam to the only place he knew no one would hear.   
-  
The two sat on his rock, silently.   
“So what is the matter?” Harmony asked, looking over to the boy playing with his necklace.   
“What do you know about humans?” Francis asked suddenly. She shook her head in confusion.   
“Probably only as much as you do. Why?” Harmony asked. Before Francis could say anything, they heard someone shouting.   
“Francis!”   
“Oh no” Francis said, pulling Harmony as he slid off the rock.   
“Francis, who is calling you?” Harmony asked worriedly. He bit his lip.   
“I’ll explain later, I promise but right now, you gotta get outta here. We’ll be harder to spot that” Francis said, he looked back up at the surface.   
“Ok, but we WILL talk about this” Harmony said annoyed before rushing downwards.   
Francis hid behind his rock, peaking behind the corner to see a familiar boat and a familiar man.   
Arnoldo  
“I can’t have been dreaming him up. He looked so real. Francis!” The chef called again. Francis pulled himself up on the rock just enough to hide his tail.   
“What are you doing here” Francis asked, scaring the man. Arnoldo fell out of his seat and rushed to steady the small rowboat.   
“Francis! You can’t do that to me, don’t you know it’s rude” Arnoldo scolded.   
“You didn’t answer my question” Francis said. Arnoldo observed the shirtless boy. He was skinny, far too skinny.   
“I could ask you the same thing” Arnoldo pointed out. Francis frowned slightly.   
“This is my rock” He said innocently.   
“You live on a rock? Thats ridiculous. What do you eat then?” Arnoldo asked. He presumed not much from just how skinny Francis was.   
“Seaweed and fish” Francis answered. These were weird questions.   
“What about fruits and vegetables!? What about breads and pastas!?” Arnoldo yelled. Francis shifted slightly and slid off the rock, appearing in the water.   
“I don’t know what those are, sorry” Francis said, his shoulders coming up as he hunched on himself. Arnoldo squinted his eyes, no human could live off seaweed and fish, and live in the ocean. Arnoldo gasped as realized but shook his head.  
Mermaids weren’t real, they were a myth.   
“What are you” Arnoldo asked. Francis chewed on his lip.   
“I really shouldn’t be here, and neither should you” Francis said nervously. He looked into Arnoldo’s eyes. The man was so handsome. Francis felt drawn to him.   
“Please, I need to know. I can’t rest easy know the person who saved my life is out here all alone living on a rock” Arnoldo pleaded. Francis found that he couldn’t say no.   
“I suppose it would be easier to show you” Francis said as he swam to his rock and pulled himself up on it, revealing his seal tail. Arnoldo’s jaw dropped.   
The myth was true.   
“You-you’re- but- you’re a merman” Arnoldo gasped. Francis smiled that tooth gaped grin.   
“I prefer seal mer, since I’m not like normal mermen but yes. I am a merman” Francis nodded, blushing a bit. Arnoldo sat back in his boat to think.   
“Are there more of you?” Arnoldo asked. Francis nodded but stopped as he looked up at the sky.   
“I have to go. I have things I promised I would do” Francis said quickly.   
“No wait!” Arnoldo yelled as Francis dove into the water. He frowned.   
He’d be back tomorrow.   
-  
“YOU DID WHAT!?” Harmony yelled as they hung out in the cave by their homes.   
“I-I just couldn’t say no. Harmony, he’s so handsome. A-And his voice. He-he seems harmless” Francis explained.   
“Francis, you told a human about us. The ONE thing we were forbidden to do” Harmony told him angrily.   
“Harmony, please don’t tell anyone. Please! If he becomes trouble- then I’ll make sure we remain hidden. But until then, I just want to get to know him Harmony” Francis pleaded. She frowned at his puppy dog face he was giving her. Damn seals and their cute faces.   
“Fine. But the second he means trouble, you know who we’ll need to get” Harmony warned as she swam out of the cave. He sighed, letting his head fall back onto the cave wall.   
-  
Arnoldo finished closing his restaurant, it was another successful day.   
“Arnoldo, I do have to ask, why did you close early?” Doris asked, leaning against the doorway.   
“I’m making a special meal for the boy who helped me back to shore the other day” Arnoldo explained. Doris nodded.   
Doris had a store next to Arnoldo’s restaurant. The two looked out for each other, so when Arnoldo closed his shop early, she had to know why. Arnoldo had told her about the boy.   
“Thats nice of you” Doris said.   
“Yes, well, its the least I can do. He’s so skinny. I’m afraid he doesn’t eat enough” Arnoldo rambled. Doris held back a laugh. No one went hungry when Arnoldo showed up. He made sure everyone ate plenty, including her.   
“Well, I’m sure he’ll love your food Arnoldo” She assured him, leaving the chef to his cooking.   
Arnoldo hoped he would, Francis had only ever eaten fish and seaweed his whole life.


	3. Human Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arnoldo surprises Francis with foods he has never tried before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who? Me? Wanting to chonk up seal mer Francis? I mean, he’s adorable.

Francis swam to his usual spot at his rocks, excited to lay back in the sun and perhaps even take a nap. He froze when he saw the bottom of the boat. He poked his head above the water and tilted his head in confusion. Arnoldo had tied his boat to one of the other rocks and had laid out a funny thing on his rocks.   
“Ah, Francis! I’m glad I caught you in time. I was worried I’d be waiting for hours” Arnoldo exclaimed. Francis pulled himself up on his rock and felt the material the chef had laid out. It was soft. Francis liked it.   
“I thought you might like a blanket to eat on” Arnoldo mentioned as he set strange objects out, as well as strange looking foods. Francis assumed they were foods.   
“I thought I’d thank you for saving me with a meal. Since you’ve never had human food, I wanted to give you the chance to try some” Arnoldo explained as he gave Francis a spoon. The seal mer looked at it funny.   
“Its a spoon. To eat with. Do you not have spoons down there?” Arnoldo asked Francis shook his head. Arnoldo shrugged as he took it back, grabbing one of the bowls. He put a spoonful of weird looking food up to Francis’ mouth. Francis leaned back, unsure of what was happening. His stomach growled loudly.   
“Come on Francis, you are obviously hungry” Arnoldo urged the boy. Francis opened his mouth and Arnoldo fed him the food. Francis couldn’t help but moan at the sweet taste. Francis found Arnoldo had already placed another spoonful up for him to take. Francis happily opened his mouth, excited for more.   
“Nobody can resist my cooking, not even mermaids” Arnoldo laughed as he gave Francis the spoon. Francis dropped the metal utensil and went face first on the bowl, eating quickly and hungrily. Arnoldo couldn’t help but bit his lip watching Francis eat. The seal mer was incredibly attractive now, but Arnoldo knew with some more feeding, he’d look downright beautiful with some meat on his bones. Francis set the empty bowl down and grabbed the nearest plate, he smelled it and made a face. He grabbed the spoon and went to take a small piece but found it difficult to use.   
“A fork may be easier. Its the one with the pointy bits” Arnoldo pointed out. Francis nodded, picking it up and stabbing some of the green stuff on the plate. He took a bite and smiled happily, ditching the fork as he went back face first. Arnoldo grabbed the cooked fish he had made, hopping Francis would like it. Francis grabbed it as he finished the other. Doing the same tasting and then eating it quickly. It was much better than what he normally ate, but he preferred the other things he had eaten. Francis felt a pang in his belly, placing a dirty hand in the now distended bulge of his tummy. He felt extremely full. He normally didnt eat this much. He leaned back on the blanket, smiling as he closed his eyes.   
“I hope you still have some room, I brought something extra special” Arnoldo said as he placed a rather large plate with a pretty wheel of something.   
“This, Francis, is a cake” Arnoldo explained. Francis huffed as he went to sit up.   
“Here Francis, let me feed it to you while you lay down” Arnoldo offered, smiling devilishly as he took a large spoonful and placed it in Francis’ mouth. Francis moaned loudly at how good it was. He had never had anything like it.   
“Arnoldo, that is amazing” Francis complimented.   
“Of course it is Francis, I made it! I am Grand Chef Arnoldo!” Arnoldo exclaimed. Francis nodded as another large bite was presented to him. He laid there lazily, letting Arnoldo feed him. He almost didn’t want it to end. The seal opened his mouth but frowned as nothing was placed in. He looked up to see the cake was gone. His belly groaned, causing him to wince. He felt full to bursting. His belly was so tight and round that Francis felt like one wrong move would cause him to explode.   
“Thank you so much Arnoldo. That was beyond amazing” Francis mumbled sleepily. He felt a warm hand placed on his belly.   
“Anytime Francis. If you’d like more, you can meet me at the docks tomorrow morning. I’m afraid I can’t make it out here tomorrow” Arnoldo said. Francis nodded as he closed his eyes, feeling the ache being soothed by Arnoldo’s large hand rubbing the seal’s over expanded belly.   
-  
“FRANCIS!”   
Francis woke up startled. Harmony sat beside him, a hand placed gently on his still distended belly. It wasn’t nearly as big, but still very noticeable on the skinnier seal mer. He groaned as the ache returned.   
“I thought I’d find you here, what happened to you? You look like you ate a school of fish” Harmony asked, feeling the curve of Francis’ bloated belly.   
“I feel like I ate that much. Actually I probably did eat that much, I-“ Francis started to say groggily but Harmony interrupted.   
“Well no wonder you were up here napping, all that food must have made you tired. Francis you never eat that much” Harmony laughed. She honestly relieved to see Francis had eaten, she has to regularly remind him. And for him to eat so much was a welcome change. She’d take overeating than not eating any day.   
“Come on you lazily seal, time to go back home. Topa has been wondering where you went off too” Harmony told him as she pushed the bloated seal off the side of the rock.   
Francis let Harmony pull him with her, still feeling full and sated.


	4. A Month Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been a month of Francis sneaking to and fro seeing Arnoldo. He’s grown since then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t getting anywhere with day to day stuff so here we are a month later in the time line. In this would Human Food is incredibly fattening to mer people. I did not make that decision until the end, so technically Francis is supposed to be a bit bigger but oh well, he’ll get there eventually.

*A month later*   
Francis poked his head through the hole of the sunken pirate ship, swimming through with a bit of difficulty with Harmony close behind. They weren’t supposed to be here, as the sunken ship was in the middle of shark waters.   
“Why are we here again?” Harmony asked. Francis began digging through the old crates and barrels.   
“I want to find something nice for Arnoldo. He’s always talking about these sunken treasures, I’m sure I can find something of value for him” Francis said, pulling old trinkets out. Harmony looked at her best friend. Francis had been rapidly filling out, going from skinny to downright chubby. His belly was beginning to hang and not to mention he had grown quite a bit wider. Harmony knew it was bound to happen, Francis was a seal. She just wasn’t sure he was supposed to be gaining this quickly, especially when she hardly sees him eating. His double chin was more pronounced, and his face had filled out. His bottom half had grown quite a bit as well.   
“This is called a fork, humans use this to eat with. As well as spoons and knives” Francis explained, bringing Harmony out of her thoughts. Francis was laying shiny objects on the floor.   
“Francis, can you please hurry so we can get out of here. This place is creepy” Harmony pleaded. Francis nodded as he pulled out a locket from a drawer.   
“Alright, lets go-“ Francis said turning around. He froze as the two watched the end of a sharks tail pass by the opening.   
“Shark” Harmony whispered. The two waited a moment.   
“I’ll go peak out” Francis offered nervously, slowly looking out the entrance hole.   
“Its gone!” Francis assured her turning to her. He turned his face and was met with sharp teeth and a mat of green hair.   
Francis jumped back frightened.   
“Haha, gotcha”   
The shark mer swam through the hole and smirked, showing off sharp fangs.   
“Patrick, you scared us” Harmony said angrily. Patrick shrugged as he leaned against the wall of the ship.   
“You two are the ones hangin around a creepy old human ship” Patrick pointed out as he crossed his arms over his chest. Patrick was lean and fit, Pink kept the Great White that way, making sure he was ready for anything.   
“What are you doing here, Patrick” Francis asked, putting the locket on as not to lose it.   
“Just passin through, lookin for some lunch” Patrick smirked. As if on cue, Francis’ belly growled loudly. The seal put a hand to his belly, wincing a bit.   
“Speaking of which, I’m late for lunch, I’ll see you guys later” Francis exclaimed, swimming out. The two friends watched as he got stuck slightly, but managing to wriggle out of the hole on his own.   
“Harmony, there is something different about Francis” Patrick noted. Harmony gave him a look.   
“Did he get a haircut?” Patrick asked, only causing Harmony to face palm.   
-  
Francis waited by their spot underneath the abandon dock. Ever since the big, trade ship docks had been built, the little one had been left to rot, but it made for a perfect meeting place for Arnoldo and Francis.   
“Francis?” He heard his name called. Francis swam from under the dock and smiled at the chef standing there.   
“Arnoldo!” He greeted happily. Arnoldo smiled at the seal below him.   
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting” Arnoldo said as he walked back down the dock, Francis following until he hit show. The seal mer crawled onto the sand and rolled over to sit up. The two had found it was the easiest way for them to have lunch together.   
“I hope everything is to your liking, I tried some different things today and there is plenty you’ve never had before” Arnoldo assured Francis. Francis gave him that adorable tooth gaped grin before digging into the meal Arnoldo had brought him.   
“You know Francis, I’d love to bring you to my restaurant one day. You’d love it. I could cook you anything you wanted right then and there” Arnoldo dreamed out loud.   
“I’d love to see it but, I don’t think your kind would appreciate a seal trying to make it’s way to your restaurant. Plus it would take ages and my belly would get all scratched up” Francis rambled a bit with his mouthful.   
“Francis, how many times do I have to tell you, don’t talk with your mouth full. And slow down, you’ll give yourself a belly ache if you eat too fast” Arnoldo scolded him. Francis’ face turned a red color.   
“But your right. We have to stay a secret. You have to stay a secret” Arnoldo mumbled sadly. Francis frowned, he hated to see the chef so sad.   
“But if you ever find a way to get me there, I’d be more than willing to try it” Francis told him. Arnoldo smiled as he put a hand to the merman’s shoulder. He was very pleased to find out how soft it was now. Now that Arnoldo was looking at Francis out of the water, the chef could see how much bigger the seal was. Francis was looking a little more like a seal with the weight.   
He looked absolutely stunning.   
Francis had eaten everything Arnoldo had put out, saying what he liked and what he didn’t like. Arnoldo found Francis never really complained or said he didn’t like something. There were things the seal preferred but nothing he disliked. Arnoldo guessed it was because Francis didn’t have to hunt for it.   
Francis laid on his back, his belly bloated outwards, making him look rightfully fat.   
“Remember that cake on our first lunch?” Arnoldo asked slyly. Francis loved cake and Arnoldo loved to bake cakes.   
“It was amazing. I could eat it all again right now” Francis said, wiping his dirtied lips with his hand. Arnoldo presented a large box, opening it to reveal a much larger version of the same cake. Francis bit his lip. He really shouldn’t, he still had to swim back home. His dads would he worried about him soon. If he ate that whole cake, he probably wouldn’t be able to move from his spot in the warm sand.   
“Just one slice, I still have to swim home” Francis told Arnoldo. The chef hummed as he fed the seal. Francis played with his necklace and opened his eyes.   
The locket.   
“I found this Arnoldo. I don’t know if its worth anything but I thought it looked pretty and you’d like it” Francis said, handing the chef the golden locket.   
“For me? Of Franciis, it is very pretty” Arnoldo said looking at it. He smiled as he fed another bite to Francis.   
-  
Francis groaned as he rubbed his over distended belly. One slice had become the whole cake, he should’ve known. He was surprised he finished it all really, it was a bigger cake than the last and there was more food than ever.   
“You look so big Francis!” Arnoldo exclaimed, running a hand over the large expansion of Francis’ belly.   
“I feel big. Ugh, I need to get into the water. I won’t feel as heavy then” Francis said lazily. Arnoldo watched as Francis tried to roll over on his belly, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was fun watching the seal struggle. Arnoldo got up from his spot and grabbed the boy’s tail fin and pulled. After many attempts at barely moving the boy, Arnoldo finally got Francis into deep enough water.   
“Oof, much better. Thank you Arnoldo” Francis said. With a wave, the seal mer disappeared into the water.   
Arnoldo looked down at the locket and smiled fondly to himself.   
-  
Francis swam into the home he shared with his 2 dads, Topa and Natalio.   
“There you are! Francis, we’ve been worried sick. You were gone for hours!” Topa yelled from their little living area. Francis hummed and made his way to his room.   
“Oh no, we are going to sit down and talk about thi- Francis?” Topa stopped as he swam into the living space. Francis was leaned back, floating there. His arms cradling and trying to hide his large, distended belly. Natalio swam beside him.   
“Francis, you’ve gotten fat” Natalio blurted out. Topa elbowed his husband. Francis huffed as he swam towards his room but felt his dad grab his tail.   
“Francis, is something wrong? Is that why you’ve been spending so much time away from home?” Topa asked worriedly.   
“No Dad, I’ve just been hanging out with friends and lost track of time” Francis lied. He knew he was late getting home.   
“That doesn’t explain all the weight within a month’s span” Natalio pointed out. Topa gave him a look. Natalio swam back into the “kitchen”   
“Francis, you know if something is wrong, you can come to us. With anything” Topa assured Francis.   
“Dad, I know. And Right now, I would like to lay down. I ate too much while I was out, thats why I look so big, I’m bloated, and now I just want to sleep” Francis told his father. Francis swam into his room, leaving Topa to go back to the living area.   
“He’s been eating a lot more lately, he’s grown a lot too. Just a month ago he was a bean pole. Natalio, you think he’s hitting another growth spurt?” Topa asked, his husband swimming to him.   
“I don’t know love, we aren’t seals. We know very little about seals. But I’m sure this is all either a growth spurt or some phase that’ll die off. Until then we just need to keep an eye on him. If he keeps gaining this quickly, we can ask Lila to check him out. She knows more about seals than we do” Natalio assured the worried merman.   
“Yeah, Lila has that book. Maybe she’ll let us borrow it” Topa said.   
He was sure it was probably just a growth spurt though. It had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know what species to make Natalio and Topa, but they know nothing about seals. I debated whether Lila should be a mermaid or not, I went with it cause why not. Also I like the trio together. No idea what she would be specifically, right now I picture all 3 of them as generic mer people.


	5. A Tight Spot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Francis and Harmony have a talk after a certain someone gets stuck. The two end up tricking Topa, Natalio and Lila about what Francis has been up too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of rambled a bit in this towards the end. But it gave me a chance to learn a little more about seals.

It had been another week of seeing Arnoldo that Harmony had decided to put her foot- uh, tail- down. This was getting out of hand. Harmony wasn’t sure what Arnoldo had been doing to Francis, but it needed to stop or at least slow down.   
She noticed the seal swimming by, searching the sea floor for shells. He had grown since the last time she had seen the seal mer. His belly had a proper hang to it now, his plush sides making pudgy looking love handles. His arms and shoulders were doughier. His bottom half seemed like it had gotten the blunt of the weight. His tail was much thicker now. The seal had gone from chubby to fat in a week.   
She swam over to join her best friend.   
“Hey Harmony” Francis greeted as he placed something in his bag.   
“Hey Francis” she greeted back. He smiled at her, showing off his tooth gaped grin.   
“Looking for anything in particular” Harmony asked. She missed hanging out with the seal all the time. He shook his head.   
“Can we hang out, maybe at the ship. It’s been awhile since we went on an adventure” he asked, she smiled back at him.   
“I’d love too Francis” she agreed and the two swam off.   
-  
Francis poked his head through the hole they usually entered and started to swim through before Harmony grabbed his tail.   
“Hey Francis, maybe I should first” Harmony suggested, already noticing how small the hole was compared to the bigger seal. He shrugged and let her swim past. He smiled as he started to swim through but frowned as he stopped moving. He wriggled a bit but found he couldn’t move forward. He looked up to see Harmony’s back to him. He chewed his lip as he placed both hands on the wall and tried pushing himself through.   
He was stuck.   
“Francis-“ Harmony turned and saw her best friend struggling to pull himself through the hole.   
“I-It’s fine, I got it. This hole has always been a tight squeeze” the seal tried to reason as he panted a bit. Harmony sighed, she had to be honest with him. But first she needed to get him out of his tight spot. The mermaid grabbed his arms and pulled but he wouldn’t budge.   
“You are stuck pretty tight Francis” she noted out loud. Francis’ face was a bright red as he avoided her eyes. She put a reassuring hand to his cheek, making him meet her gaze.   
“Don’t worry Francis, I’ll get you out of here” Harmony assured him. She grabbed his hands  
“Take deep breaths for me Francis, calm, just like we’ve talked about” Harmony instructed him.   
“Harmony, I don’t see how deep breaths are gonna help me-“ Francis started   
“Deep breath in” she interrupted him. He did as he was told. They did it a few times.   
“Ok, now normally when you take deep breaths, your belly expands, you are gonna do the opposite. Deep breath in but let it all go to your chest” Harmony instructed him. Francis took a deep breath and as he did, Harmony pulled the seal right out. Francis winced as he rubbed his scratched up sides.   
“We’ll get Patrick to make this hole bigger for you” Harmony noted, testing the boards to see if she could break them.   
“Its always been a small hole” Francis tried to reason. Harmony frowned.   
“No Francis, just last month you could swim through it no problem” Harmony mentioned. Francis curled in on himself.   
“T-then the hole must have gotten smaller” Francis suggested, but it was clear to Harmony he didn’t really think that.   
“Francis, I don’t think the hole got smaller” Harmony said gently. Francis looked down as he placed both hands on the sides of his belly.   
“Francis, if you were just eating what we usually eat, I wouldn’t worry. You’re a seal. Seal’s are supposed to be bigger, thats why they have blubber in the first place. But your eating a lot of foods that we dont know. We dont know if mer people should be consuming that stuff. It obviously has some kind of effect, you shouldn’t be gaining weight this fast which leads me to believe that whatever that chef is feeding you is far, far from good for you” Harmony explained. Francis let out a breath from his nose. He wasn’t oblivious to the fact he had put on a considerable amount of weight, he just didn’t want to face the facts. He sat down and leaned against the wall of the ship, running a hand down his belly.   
“Francis, I’m just worried about your health. And I know your dads are too. They dont even know about the human. I think you need to talk to them AND Arnoldo. We just don’t know what that Human stuff is doing to you aside from making you gain weight at a rapid pace” Harmony continued, grabbing his hand and rubbing soothing circles into his palm.   
“Come on, let’s go hang out somewhere without the threat of sharks hanging around” Harmony offered more cheerfully.   
After the two had struggled to get Francis unstuck again, Patrick poked his head up from his hiding place behind the crates.   
“So, Francis has been hanging out with a human. How interesting” the shark said to himself, smiling slyly.   
-  
Francis and Harmony swam into his home, ready to go straight to his room but the two froze. Topa, Natalio and Lila were all ‘sitting’ in the living area looking at them. Francis cleared his throat.   
“Is it ok if Harmony comes over” Francis tried to break the tension in the air.   
“She can but we are gonna check you out first” Topa said. Lila wasn’t a doctor, but because of her training in sports and athletics and teaching said athletics, she knows a lot of about sea creatures and their bodies. Lila was surprised to say the least. The last she had seen Francis was a month ago when he was nothing more than skin and bone. Lila had helped raise the seal, teaching him sports and water dancing, offering support when he needed it. Now Francis was much larger. To Lila, he looked like what a seal mer his age should look like. He actually may he a tad bit bigger than what he was supposed to be but seals ranged in sizes.   
“He looks like a perfectly normal seal to me” Lila said, looking him over.   
“His size isn’t the problem Lila, it’s the fact that he got this big so quickly” Topa exclaimed. Lila shrugged.   
“Francis, have there been any changes in your usual diet?” Lila asked. Harmony and Francis looked at each other.   
“No, well yes but no” Francis said quickly.   
“He eats a lot more” Harmony added. Francis sighed in relief, Harmony wasn’t going to rat him out.   
“A whole lot more” Francis said just as quick.   
“Is that it?” Natalio asked, giving him a look. Francis looked to Harmony.   
“Come on, what else is there to eat?” Harmony asked. Lila raised her eyebrow. Something was up.   
“I don’t know, you tell me” Lila challenged the helpful girl floating beside Francis. Before Harmony could say anything, Francis stopped her.   
“I’ve been trying new foods” Francis said. He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t telling the whole truth.   
“Like?” Topa asked. He had to admit, they really didn’t keep much variety at the home. Seals liked variety from what Topa had gathered.   
“Well- uh, I tried squid the other week” Francis said. He had, Arnoldo a delicious dish with it.   
“You did not like jellyfish” Harmony joked, seeing what Francis was doing.   
“Oof yeah, no jellyfish, that hurt” Francis laughed. Topa and Natalio rolled their eyes.   
“What have you been doing at the surface?” Natalio asked. Francis froze and shot a look at Harmony. She shook her head.   
“Sunbathing. It feels good” Francis answered.   
“You’ve been going to the surface!? Francis you know that’s dangerous!” Topa yelled. Lila put a hand on the merman’s shoulder.   
“Relax Topa, that’s common among seals. It helps warm them up when waters get too cold. As long as he is doing it where no humans will see him, he’s fine” Lila explained. Topa huffed but nodded.   
“So, what’s happening to him?” Topa asked as Lila gathered her things.   
“From what I can tell, it’s just a very strange growth spurt. You guys can go now” Lila told the two. Francis and Harmony raced to his room.   
“Lila, how long is this going to last?” Topa asked as he and Natalio swam with Lila to the door.   
“I’m not sure. He’s already a little bigger than he should be but we don’t know what kind of seal he is. Just based on his height, I assumed he was a smaller seal but if he keeps growing this fast, then I could be wrong” Lila explained. When Topa and Natalio adopted Francis, they weren’t told much about the seal mer. They knew he required different care because of it but without knowing too much about Francis’ birth parents, it was hard to say what seal he was.   
“Just keep an eye on him and he’ll be fine” Lila assured her friends.   
Natalio and Topa looked at each other.   
Keeping an eye on Francis was harder than it sounded.

**Author's Note:**

> Some things may change from this first chapter, as it is more of an introduction short kind of thing.


End file.
